Benjamin f



(No Model.)

B. E. WHEELER 8u E. W. MAGQUESTEN.`

GA'RMENT STAY.

No. 388,936. Patented Sept. 4, 3.888.

UNTTED STATES PnTnNT @tries BENJAMIN F. WHEELER AND FREDERIC W.MACQUESTEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE DETROIT STAY COMPANY.

GARNI ENTSTAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,936, datedSeptember 4, 1888.

(No model.)

T @ZZ 10.71.0721. it may concern:

Be it kno wn thatwe, BENJAMIN F.y WHEELER and Fnnnnnio W. liLtoQUnsTnN,citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Vayne,State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGarment-Stays; and we declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin 1o the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to theaceompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification.

In the drawings, Figure l shows one of our x5 improved stays in use onthe seam of a garment. Fig. 2 shows one of our stays opened up at oneend, illustrating` the lower fabric with an adhesive coating or sheeto1' rubber upon it, and showing the wire resting thereon.

2o Fie. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of our stays, showing` howthe fabrics adhere to each other between the crimps of the wire. Fig. 4shows one of our crimped wires with the ends bent into loop form. Fig. 5shows how the stay may yield laterally or edgewisc. Fig. 6 shows therelation of the fabric, the wire, and the adhesive material or rubbertissue.

A is a dressseam. B is our stay. C shows aline of stitches which crossback and forth 3o over the wire and illustrate how a narrow stay may befastened to the garment. D shows stitches at the sides for fastening itto the garment. E is the upper fabric, and E the lower fabric, of ourstay. F is a surface coating` of adhesive material or a sheet ofgotta-percha tissue. G is the crimped wire, and g shows its bent end.

This invention relates to new and improved features in the constructionof garment stays 4o or stitfenings for ladies dress-waists, Sco.

The objects of thisinvention are to produce an article for attachment tothe seams of dresswaists or other garments for the purpose of stiffeniugthe same, which, unlike other articles of this class as heretoforeconstructed, shall be capable of lateral as well as transverseflexibility, so as to morercadily conform to and yield with themovements of the body, one that may be very light and extremely narrow5o in forni, so as not to be cumbersome, and in which thestiffening-strand shall be so formed as to be free from sharp corners orabrn pt angies, and thus be less liable from wear to work through itscovering and puncture the garment to which it is attached. This hasconstituted a great objection in this class of goods where the stayshave been constructed from liat steel blades having,` squarecut ends. Insuch stays,

as a means of avoiding the sharp corners at the ends of such blades, ithas been found neees- 6o sary to apply metal caps to said ends, to givethem a rounded surface, or to round the corners by an eniery-wheel, orto otherwise prepare the metal strip. Such appliances and such treatmentof the metallic strips have not proven entirely satisfactory, since suchattacl ments or additional manipulation ofthe blade add increased weightand bulk to the stay, as well as expense in its production.

By our present invention we have not only 7o overcome the aboveobjections, but are ena bled to produce a much better and cheaperarticle, which embodies a n umberofgood qualities not found in thearticles of this class as heretofore constructed, and which will befully set forth in the following specification.

The stiffening-strand which we employ in the construction of ourinvention consists of a small Wire strand, preferably spring wire orsteel, or it may be of brass or other metal. So, 8o also, the wire ispreferably round in section, but may be square or other sectional forni.This Wire is corrugated or crimped to give it a broadened bearing orsurface on two sides and stiil be capable of its laterai flexibility.The end crimps or corrugations of the strand are preferably continued orbent around until the ends of the wire meet the body portion of thestrand, thus shielding the sharp ends of the wire and forming roundedsurfaces at the 9o ends of the strands. The strands thus formed areprovided with a covering of textile fabric, which is secured thereto bycoating the inner face of one of the covering fabrics only with asuitable tlesible cement,or by means ofan i nterposed sheet ofgotta-pereha tissue, which shall lie between the strand and one of thefabrics, thc other fabric being placed over the strand and coatedsurface of the opposite fabricmfhcn the parts are subjected to eitherheat and pressroo ure, or pressure alone, whereby the fabrics arebrought in contact with each other between the crimps of the strands andat the sides of the metallic strand, and by the cement or gatta-perchatissue become united. The ends of the sheet of fabric on which thegutta-percha tissue or cement is applied may, if de sired, be foldedover the rounded ends of the strand and secured to the back face of theopposite covering of textile fabric, thus more securely protecting theends of the strand, which by this manner of construction would have nopossible tendency to work through its covering and puncture the garmentto which it s attached. The covering fabrics being se curely unitedbetween the crimps or corruga tions of the strand, it will beeffectually prevented from any end movement, and as the wire of itselfis round and the ends on which the strain would naturally be brought arealso usually bent around, as described, any wear from friction broughton said ends would have less tendency to cause them to penetrate thesubstance with which they are in contact. So, also, since the strand iscapable of lateral as well as transverse flexibility, it will readilyyield in all directions and relieve the strain on the ends.

Ve are aware that the use of gutta percha tissue as a means ofceinenting or uniting textile fabrics for various purposes is old, andthat steel or metallic blades have been covered with cloth renderedwaterproof by flexible impervious eexnents, and also that such bladeshave been covered with cloth. having sheets of rubber or gutta-perchatissue lying on each side of the blade, and that such blades have beencovered in various ways with such nna-` terial; but we are not awarethat strands of crimped springwire have been employed as astiffening-strand and fastened rigidly in place between adhesivesurfaces of fabric-that is to say, so that a fabric above it and anotherfabric below it may be caused to adhere together either directly or uponan interposed sheet of gutta-percha tissue and be caused to embrace thecrimped wire, not only outside of its outer edges, but between itscrimps, thereby not only deriving the advantage of the strength andelasticity of the crimped wire, which enables the stay to flex in alldirections, but giving to the wire the stiffness and support which areafforded by the fiat adhering surfaces between the bends of the crimpsand beyond the crimps at the sides of the strand, and this constructionis the thing which constitutes the essential feature of our invention.

sance Ve are aware that crimped wires have been introduced into tapesand pockets wherein the wire has been left free within the said tape orpockets, and the fabrics on the opposite sides of the wire, not beingbrought together and caused to adhere to each ot-her, did not afford, asin our device, a strong stiifening-web.

This stay may have the fabrics project at the sides to facilitate sewingto the garment in the usual way; but the material between thecorrugations or crimps furnishes sufficient fabric through whichstitches may be passed, and so the stay may be made very narrow and lessfabric be employed in its construction than is possible with stayshaving fiat strips or strands of metal.

Of course the device is not limited strictly to dress-stays, for it isequally applicable to corsets and garments of every character, or forother uses where like stays may be einploycd, and they may be employedsingly, or a series of strands may be employed sideby side in a singlebroad stay or surface.

lVhat we claim is- 1. A universally-flexible stay consisting of acrimped wire bent at its ends and interposed with a sheet of guttapercha tissue between two surfaces of fabric, the whole pressedtogether, whereby the fabrics are caused to adhere both at the edges andin the spaces between the crimps, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed. t

2. Auniversallyitlexible stay consisting of a crimped wire interposedwith an adhesive substance between two sheets of fabric, one of saidfabrics with the adhesive substance folded over one or both ends of thestay onto the back of the other fabric, and the whole united bypressure, substantially as described.

3. A garment-stay consisting of a crimped strand of strong wire, incombination with two embracing-surfaces of fabric and an interposedadhesive material, the whole united and made integral by pressure, saidfabric brought together between the crimps and beyond its edges, andconstituting a stiffening-web to stiffen the stay against too greatlateral tleXibility, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we sign this specifica tion in presence of twowitnesses.

BENJAMIN F. VHEELER. FREDERIC lV. MACQUESTEN.

Witnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, SAMUEL E. THoMAs,

